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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
- Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!rpi!usc!news.service.uci.edu!unogate!mvb.saic.com!ast.saic.com!c3ot!scheller
- From: scheller@c3ot.c3ot.saic.com (Mark J. Scheller)
- Subject: SUMMARY: Exabyte 8500 writing in 5GB mode?
- Message-ID: <1993Jan25.152914.17253@ast.saic.com>
- Followup-To: poster
- Keywords: summary, exabyte, 8500, 5GB
- Sender: scheller@c3ot (Mark J. Scheller)
- Reply-To: scheller@c3ot.saic.com
- Organization: Science Applications International Corp./San Diego
- Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:29:14 GMT
- Lines: 101
-
- I wrote:
-
- >Hello fellow sun-hardware users!
- >
- >Configuration: Sun SPARCstation 1 (upgrading to a 2 any day now)
- > SunOS 4.1.3
- > 3rd party Exabyte-8500 8MM tape drive
- >
- >Recently my company purchased an Exabyte-8500 8mm tape drive with the
- >special LCD front panel display. I've used the "old" 2.3GB Exabytes
- >for quite a while with no problems, but this time I wanted to get all
- >of the options.
- >
- >Here's the question: The front panel while either reading or writing
- >display interesting information including "Compression Ratio" and
- >"Total Data Transferred" and "Remaining capacity." How do I get the
- >tape to write in 5GB mode? When I insert a brand-new out of the package
- >tape and write to /dev/rst1 or 9 or 17 or 25, the "Compression Ratio"
- >still only displays "1.0". Am I wrong in expecting that to change when
- >the tape drive is truly writing in 5GB mode? What other (if any) factors
- >effect whether the tape drive is writing in 5GB or 2.3GB mode? How can
- >I tell (besides attempting to write >2.3 GB to a tape and see if it can)?
- >
- >I would also solicite and appreciate other general pearls 'o' knowledge
- >relating to the Exabyte-8500.
- >
- >Thanks in advance!
-
-
- Here are the last 2 and best summary of messages:
-
- From tellab5!vpnet!trdlnk!mike@uunet.UU.NET Fri Jan 22 21:14:33 1993
- From: trdlnk!mike@uunet.UU.NET (Michael Sullivan)
- To: scheller@c3ot.saic.com
- Subject: Re: Exabyte 8500 writing in 5GB mode?
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
- In-Reply-To: <1993Jan19.171350.27928@ast.saic.com>
- Organization: TradeLink Corp.
- Cc:
- Content-Length: 132
- X-Lines: 2
- Status: RO
-
- Read the st(4) man page. There are different /dev entries for the various
- densities. For instance, /dev/rst9 writes in 5 GB mode.
-
- From ghg@ecn.purdue.edu Sat Jan 23 06:59:47 1993
- From: ghg@ecn.purdue.edu (George Goble)
- To: scheller@c3ot.saic.com
- Subject: Re: Exabyte 8500 writing in 5GB mode?
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
- In-Reply-To: <1993Jan19.171350.27928@ast.saic.com>
- Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
- Cc:
- Content-Length: 2499
- X-Lines: 52
- Status: RO
-
-
- If this is a "screen door" compression system, the LCD display is mounted
- in the exabyte door, then there is a small button on the door on the
- right. After power up or possibly when a tape is not loaded, the display
- cycles betteen "8200/8500" and "compression" display.
-
- Pushing the button during the 8200/8500 will make a small "2" or "5"
- appear in the lower left part of the display.. This selects 8200/8500 mode.
- When compression is displayed, hitting the button, toggles on a "c"
- as a subscript to the 2 or 5 indicating compression is on..
-
- There are also dip switches on the compression board to set certain
- defaults.
-
- --ghg
-
-
- The interesting part of the st(4) man page says this:
-
- For helical-scan tape devices (Exabyte):
- /dev/rst[0-7]
- Standard EXB-8200 (2GB) Format
- /dev/rst[8-15]
- EXB-8500 (5GB) Format
- /dev/rst[16-23]
- Compressed Format (EXB-8500 only)
- /dev/rst[24-31]
- Compressed Format (EXB-8500 only)
-
-
- Also it was pointed out that the Exabyte 8500 does NOT do compression,
- but the 8500C does (that's why the C is there!).
-
- Thanks all!
-
- mS
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